NEW YORK, N.Y. – Ex-Louisville star and current Atlanta Dream forward Angel McCoughtry was named the 2009 WNBA adidas Rookie of the Year announced on Thursday. McCoughtry received 30 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters to earn the award. She is the second former BIG EAST standout to earn the honor joining ex-UConn standout Diana Taurasi who won the award in 2004.
McCoughtry, the No.1 overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft, topped the charts among all WNBA rookies in points (12.8) and steals (2.2) and ranked fifth in assists (2.1). She finished the season with two consecutive adidas Rookie of the Month honors. McCoughtry’s 2.2 steals per game led the Dream and placed her in the top five among league leaders.
The 6’1” forward had one of her best games in a 93-87 win over the San Antonio Silver Stars; McCoughtry posted a career-high 34 points, collected seven rebounds and dished out four assists. She scored double-digits in all but 10 games during her first professional season.
McCoughtry helped propel a team that finished with only four wins in 2008 to second place in the Eastern Conference this season. The Dream advanced to the playoffs, the first postseason appearance in franchise history. The 14-game improvement is the second-best single-season turnaround in WNBA history.
McCoughtry was honored with the adidas Rookie of the Month award in July and August. In July, she averaged 10.2 points, 2.0 steals per game and was nearly perfect from the free throw line during that span (17-for-18). In her 10 games played in August, she averaged 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 2.4 assists.
McCoughtry, the all-time leading scorer and rebounder at the University of Louisville, excelled on the court throughout her college career. She was the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year as a senior and was Louisville’s first three-time All-America selection.
McCoughtry also was named to the 2009 WNBA All-Defensive Second Team.
In honor of being named the 2009 adidas Rookie of the Year, McCoughtry will receive $5,000 and a specially-designed trophy by Tiffany & Co.
Below are the complete results of the 2009 adidas Rookie of the Year voting, followed by a list of previous winners:
Voting Results – Player, Team 30 – Angel McCoughtry, Atlanta Dream 9 – DeWanna Bonner, Phoenix Mercury 2 – Shavonte Zellous, Detroit Shock
ALL-TIME WNBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR WINNERS Year – Player, Team 2009 – Angel McCoughtry, Atlanta Dream 2008 – Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks 2007 – Armintie Price, Chicago Sky 2006 – Seimone Augustus, Minnesota Lynx 2005 – Temeka Johnson, Washington Mystics 2004 – Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury 2003 – Cheryl Ford, Detroit Shock 2002 – Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever 2001 – Jackie Stiles, Portland Fire 2000 – Betty Lennox, Minnesota Lynx 1999 – Chamique Holdsclaw, Washington Mystics 1998 – Tracy Reid, Charlotte Sting
Courtesy: Associated Press
